Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to be a “staunch defender of the Potteries” after Stoke-on-Trent Central MP Gareth Snell urged the Government to use its purchasing power to support British ceramics and manufacturing jobs.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Snell welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment to serving British food across the public estate but challenged him to go further.
He said British food should be served on British-made ceramic plates, while homes delivered through the Government’s housebuilding programme should be constructed using British bricks.
Gareth also urged the Government to accelerate its plans to “rewire” public procurement so that more of the money spent by British taxpayers supports businesses and jobs within the UK.
Responding, the Prime Minister acknowledged the importance of ceramics to Stoke-on-Trent and the wider economy.
He said: “I will be a staunch defender of the Potteries in this House” and added that the Government could do much more through public procurement to support strategically important British industries.
Mr Burnham said social value weightings could be applied across public-sector procurement, improving the prospects of contracts being awarded to British-based businesses.
He added: “I do not think that we should allow the culture of sending everything outside this country to continue—this will be a big change under this Government.”
Gareth said:“I welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to supporting our industries. The recent changes in Government create a real opportunity to turn that commitment into action and provide the backing our ceramics and manufacturing sector needs to thrive. These are issues I have consistently raised since my election, and I will continue to work with colleagues to champion our world-renowned ceramics industry and the communities it supports.”
The exchange marks a further step in Gareth’s long-running campaign to protect Stoke-on-Trent’s ceramics manufacturers and their highly skilled workforce along with his fellow city MPs.
He has repeatedly raised the pressures facing the energy-intensive sector, including high energy costs, overseas competition and the loss of historic local manufacturers. In May 2025, he secured an urgent Commons question on support for energy-intensive industries.
He has also challenged Parliament over its own purchasing practices, arguing that products described as British should be manufactured—not simply decorated—in the UK. In January, he called for everything from parliamentary tableware to gift-shop products to be British-made from start to finish.
Mr Snell said public procurement could become a powerful tool for growing British manufacturing, supporting local supply chains and protecting skilled employment.
For Potteries businesses, the Prime Minister’s response offers a potentially important route to increased demand from schools, hospitals, housing programmes and other publicly funded projects—turning government spending into investment in British industrial capacity.
